


Meeting You Was Fate, Seeing You Was A Choice

by rl2



Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: Alternate Universe - Never Met, Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, Bullying, Developing Relationship, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, F/M, Fluff, Identity Reveal, Marichat, Marichat May, Marichat May 2020, Secret Relationship
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-05-01
Updated: 2020-09-02
Packaged: 2021-03-02 03:47:48
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 11
Words: 18,425
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23948656
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/rl2/pseuds/rl2
Summary: What if Adrien was never put in Marinette's class? What if he never became friends with Nino, Alya, and Marinette?Adrien and Marinette had an unspoken agreement: They were mutual enemies. Adrien was best friends with Chloé, who hated Marinette's guts. Thus, by extension, Adrien and Marinette have less than friendly feelings for each other.One day, when Chat and Marinette meet, those feelings start to change.MARICHAT MAY 2020
Relationships: Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir & Chloé Bourgeois, Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir & Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug, Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir & Nino Lahiffe, Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir/Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug, Alya Césaire & Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug, Alya Césaire & Nino Lahiffe, Alya Césaire/Nino Lahiffe
Comments: 73
Kudos: 326





	1. Witch AU

**Author's Note:**

> Ok! So let's establish a few things about this AU!
> 
> Chat and LB are still around, and they are still Adrien and mari. However, they're just best buds, not rlly in love with each other. Adrien was put in a different class, so his only friend is still Chloé. He never got to show Mari that he is nice and wanted friends, so Marinette assumes that he's another spoiled brat.

Marinette doodled in her notebook, zoning out from the lesson in front of her. She didn’t care for science that much anyway, it was arguably her  _ least _ favorite subject. What was the point of paying attention if she didn't need to? She was going to University to study fashion, not chemistry or geology or- anything ending in a -y. 

Next to her was her best friend, Alya. Ever since the new girl arrived the year prior, Marinette really started to break out of her shell! Alya and Nino were some of the best things to happen to her in a long while. Years of torment from Chloé had a way of breaking your spirit until you didn't fight back. Alya taught Marinette that she was capable of standing up for herself, that it wasn't right of Chloé to bully her. Nino... well, Nino was a source of positivity in their group. Sure, he was a little awkward at times from being outnumbered by the girls, but he handled it really well. 

Marinette was just glad that Adrien Agreste kid wasn't in their class. Chloé bragged about their relationship so much she felt like she already  _ knew  _ him. She didn’t want to know how they spent the weekend in Venice or how he bought Chloe expensive bracelets. From what she heard, he was another spoiled rich kid who had an attitude issue.

As Alya nudged her and glanced down at her paper with a questioning look, Marinette was surprised to see her doodles had gone past the usual vest or blouse. Instead, a mini Ladybug and Chat Noir sat on her paper. She smiled a little to herself, shrugging to Alya. She wasn’t quite ready to let her little secret slip, and she promised that Chat would know first.

Seeing her partner was one of the best parts of her day. Running around on the rooftops was such an indescribable feeling, but Chat was able to just sense her feelings. It was like they were soulmates or something. Except, she didn’t really see him romantically. Sure, he was cute, and damn if he wasn’t ripped, but their bond was more like that of siblings. She thought he might’ve had a crush on her in the past, but if he did he moved past it quickly and never brought it up. 

As class was dismissed, Marinette took to talking with Alya as they walked out of the room to head home. Marinette lived just across the street, so Alya tagged along with her often to just hang out for a few hours. As she did, her shoulder was knocked into by a head full of blonde hair.

“Hey! Watch where you’re going,” Alya reprimanded the person, helping Marinette steady herself.

“Sorry, we don’t speak to losers like you two,” As Marinette straightened up, she recognized who exactly bumped into her: Chloe. Right next to her stood Adrien, a look of apprehensiveness on his face.

“Why don’t you go bother someone else, your perfume is stinking up the place,” Marinette shot back, shooting her a glare. All she wanted to do was go home!

“Don’t talk to Chloe like that!” Adrien stepped forward.

“Or what? You’re gonna call daddy?” Marinette crossed her arms, raising an eyebrow. 

Adrien glared at her, balling his fists in frustration. “You don’t know what you’re talking about.”

Alya looked between the two, pulling Marinette back an inch. “Just apologize for knocking Marinette over and leave us alone. We don’t want thing 1 and thing 2 on our backs tomorrow.” 

“Pfft, as if I’ll apologize to her! That’s ridiculous, utterly ridiculous! Come on Adrikins, we have a hair appointment to get to.” Chloe grabbed Adrien’s wrist, dragging him away. Adrien looked back at Marinette, a disgusted look on his face.

\--------

“Ugh they just frustrate me so much Alya! They think they’re better because they have money and- I don’t know, they’re blonde? No, maybe just the rich thing.” Marinette threw her book bag onto the floor, collapsing onto her chaise. 

Alya giggled, placing her bag next to Marinette’s. “Don’t worry about it, girl. People like them end up spending all their inheritance and becoming nobodys,” She said, “Besides, it’s not like they matter. Once I become a famous journalist and you’re the hottest fashion designer in Paris, Chloe and Adrien will be begging us to be their friends.”

Marinette smiled a little at that. Her original dream was to first intern at Gabriel, but if his son acted like THAT, she wanted nothing to do with the brand itself. “Seriously, though, who raised them like that?”

Alya shrugged, sitting on Marinette’s lap. “Maybe some nannies or seriously underpaid employees? I can’t imagine the Mayor actually raising that little rat, he probably just paid for a tutu and called it a day.”

They both laughed, thinking about Chloe actually wearing a tutu. 

“Ok, enough about Barbie and Ken. How’s you and that Luke kid?” Alya questioned.

Marinette blushed, pushing Alya off of her lap and onto the seat next to her. “He’s uh, it’s good! A little different than what I expected though…” 

Alya raised an eyebrow. “Different?”

“Yeah! You know, I thought he would be more talkative once we went out on an actual date.”

“Wait, what happened? You said it went well!”

Marinette buried her face in her hands and mumbled something that Alya couldn’t hear. 

“Hun, you’re gonna have to speak up if you want me to hear you.”

“He brought his guitar to the restaurant,” Marinette confessed. 

Alya stared at her in shock. “He WHAT?”

“Yeah! I know he has that guitar all the time but I thought dinner would be different!”

Alya burst out laughing, hugging Marinette tightly. “Nette, what am I going to do with you?” 

Marinette smiled at her childhood nickname. Nino had taught Alya the name he gave Marinette in kindergarten, and it just kind of stuck. 

“You could always give me away for three cows or something. Do people still do that?” 

Alya hummed, considering. “Probably not,” she said, “But I could probably set you up with someone! OOO wait, what if Nino and I took you on a double date!”

Marinette tilted her head. “Who would be my date?”

“Uh, we could figure that part out. Doesn’t Nathaniel like you?”

Marinette shuddered, remembering the Evillustrator. “Not anymore. Besides, he’s with Marc.” 

“Oh, right. What about… Kim?”

“No.” 

“Nino?” Alya smirked.

Marinette grabbed the pillow from the chaise, hitting Alya square in the face. “I heard he has a girlfriend.”

“He does? Damn, I wanted to date him.” Alya said.

“Mhmm, I heard she’s super hot and smart. I think you’ve met her, actually!”

“Wow, what’s her name?” Alya batted her eyelashes, staring up at Marinette.

“I can’t remember, maybe Ariana? Abby? Aurore? Something with an A.” Marinette waved her hand dismissively. 

“I-” Alya was interrupted by her phone buzzing. She frowned, picking it up to check her texts. “Shit, I’ve gotta get home. Mom’s mad my room’s a mess. I’ll see you at school tomorrow,” Alya leaned down to kiss Marinette’s cheek. 

“Text me when you’re home! Love you.” Marinette smiled as her friend disappeared down the trapdoor. 

Tikki flew out of Marinette’s bag, coming to sit on the desk. “You should do your homework, Marinette.”

“Oh, right! I have chemistry.” She dug around in her school bag for her notebook, pulling it out to start.

\-----

By the time Marinette had finished her homework, the sun was just starting to set. She sighed, pushing herself away from her desk. 

“I think I’m gonna go water my plants, Tikki. There are cookies in your jar if you want.” She smiled, climbing up her skylight onto her balcony. 

The balcony was one of her favorite parts about her room. In a city as crowded and dense as Paris, only she had access to her balcony. It was her private space to do whatever with. Also, it was really convenient when she had to sneak in and out of the house.

She strolled over to one of her plants, picking up one of the many water bottles she kept outside for this reason. Marinette hummed as she watered her plants one by one, eventually coming to one she had set on the floor. 

Not wanting to bend down to water the large plant, she picked it up and leaned it against the railing. As she started to pour the water onto the plant, her hand slipped and-

“Shit!” She said as the pot fell down to the street below. A distinct yelp of pain could be heard and Marinette grimaced, preparing to ask the person if they were ok. 

As she leaned over the railing, she came face to face with a pair of green eyes.

“You should watch where you throw those things.” Chat said, glaring at her while rubbing his head.

“Oh- I’m sorry, it slipped out of my hands! I didn’t mean to hit you,” She rushed to apologize as he stepped onto her balcony, taking a look around.

“Right. What are you even doing?” 

Marinette tilted her head. “Uh, gardening.”

He screwed up his face, still holding his head. “Who would willingly do that? Isn’t it dirty?”

Taken aback, Marinette could only stare at him incredulously. “It’s actually quite relaxing. What’s your problem? I already apologized for the plant.” 

“Maybe I don’t appreciate being hurt by a-” He looked around the balcony once more. “Witch. Is that what you are? Why else would you have all these weird plants?”

“Excuse you, that’s rude.”

“Excuse ME? I’m the one who might have a fractured skull!” 

“You’re a superhero, you’ll be perfectly fine.” Marinette rolled her eyes. She was used to his dramatics, but most of the time he had a playful tone. This sounded… vicious. “I really am sorry, though. I could go see if I have anything that could help?”

Chat narrowed his eyes at her. “Fine, but don’t think I trust you.” 

“Yeah yeah, just stay there.” 

Marinette went down to her bathroom, picking up some rubbing alcohol and a bandaid. “Who the hell calls someone a witch because they like gardening?” She asked herself.

“Me, if you haven’t noticed.”

Marinette jumped into the air, scattering the supplies everywhere. “I didn’t say you could come inside.”

Chat looked around her bathroom, scrunching his nose in disgust. “Was I supposed to stand up there like an idiot? Just hurry up and fix this, I wanna go home.”

“I thought you were the hero of Paris, aren’t you supposed to not be rude to civilians?” 

“The hero of Paris doesn’t like getting a concussion.’

“Oh my god you barely have a cut, just shut up.” She picked up the rubbing alcohol and poured it onto a paper towel, not giving Chat a warning before pressing the soaked towel against his forehead.

He jumped back, hissing at her. “Hey, that stings!”

“Shut up, you’re being a baby.” She laughed good naturedly, going back to cleaning up the wound once again. Satisfied, she placed the bandaid on his forehead. Coincidentally, it was Ladybug themed. “You’re all done!”

“Whatever. Stay safe, don’t get akumatized, blah blah blah. Have a good night.” He started to head out of the bathroom before Marinette caught his arm. 

“Most people say thank you, you know.” Why did he hate her civilian self so much?

He scowled at her, looking her up and down. “You didn’t do anything, I wouldn’t have even been here if you didn’t drop that plant on my head.”

Marinette felt herself getting frustrated, and an angry Marinette was NOT a good Marinette. “Out. Get out of my house.”

“I’m- what?” Chat said, dumbfounded.

“I said get out of my house. If you’re going to be a prick about something that was an accident, you aren’t welcome here.”

Chat looked like he wanted to say something, but only nodded. He went out of the bathroom and disappeared out the trapdoor without a word. 

Tikki flew back over to Marinette, who sat down on the edge of her bathtub. “Tikki, what the hell just happened?” 

  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Day one: complete!
> 
> I can't promise daily updates, but I will try to finish this relatively fast. Have a good day! :)


	2. Bell

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Adrien has a little investigation of the situation himself.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Haha we are back!

Adrien sighed as he entered his bedroom window. Why would he act grateful for Marinette’s help? She literally dropped a concrete pot on his head, and seemed amused by it! Who does that? 

“Plagg, claws in.” He grumbled, reaching into his hidden cabinet to get out a wheel of camembert.

“What was  _ that _ !” Plagg said, flying over to the cheese.

“Um, I was assaulted by a civilian?”

Plagg shook his head. “No no, she dropped a pot on your head by accident. That wasn’t assault, she didn’t even know anyone was standing there!” 

Adrien rolled his eyes. “We both know she hates Chloe and I, why wouldn’t it extend to Chat Noir?”

“Maybe because she’s never met Chat Noir before? Besides, you were a little harsh on her. She was just trying to help.”

“I don’t need her help. I need her to lay off of Chloe.” He said, sitting on his bed to untie his sneakers.

Plagg looked him up and down, unimpressed. “You realize Chloe purposefully knocked into her earlier today right? That wasn’t Marinette’s fault.”

Adrien blushed, not looking up to meet Plagg’s eyes. “It doesn’t matter, Chloe’s my friend. She’s a little rude at times, but friends stick up for each other.” He reached up to cup Plagg in his hands, his eyes glistening. “Does it look like I have anyone else? I’ve been in school for two years and the only people I talk to are Chloe and Sabrina. I  _ can’t  _ let anyone ruin that.”

“I know kid,” Plagg said sadly, “Why don’t you talk to some of the kids in your class? They seem nice.”

Adrien shook his head. “They don’t want to talk to me, not really. Chloe kinda… scares them.” 

“Adrien, you really need to talk to Chloe, then.”

Adrien scoffed, “She doesn’t listen. Remember when she held that party with Despair Bear? She was nice for five minutes, then…” He winced. “If Marinette’s bullying her, why should I let her? Besides, she didn’t seem all that apologetic about the pot, either.”

“Yeah, she was kind of… off about that,” Plagg frowned, “But you really should go back and thank her for helping you, even if it seemed she didn’t take it seriously.” 

Adrien sighed, considering. Was that even worth it? The girl hated him anyways, it wouldn’t do much if he changed her opinion about Chat Noir. He didn’t  _ want  _ her to like Chat Noir. She was one of the least self-aware people he had met! She constantly talked about Chloe’s attitude, when hers went unchecked all the time as well!

“Maybe tomorrow, Plagg. It’s too late to go back now.”

He quickly changed into his pajamas, pulling out his phone to call Chloe.

“Adrien, I love you, but you know that it’s almost midnight right?” He heard her groggily pick up.

“Uh, yeah. Sorry about that Chlo! I just wanted to know if you were ok after today?”

“Ok after what? Oh, our hair appointment? Honestly, I’m kind of loving the natural highlights.” Chloe said.

Plagg sat on Adrien’s chest, mimicking Chloe’s voice. Adrien had to stifle a laugh.

“No no, I meant when Marinette yelled at you.” Adrien replied.

He heard Chloe snort from across the phone. “Please, Adrikins. It takes a lot more than Dupain-Cheng yelling at me to make me upset.”

“Have you considered transferring to my class?” He pleaded. They had this argument time and time again. Chloe was being harassed in her class, didn’t she want a safer environment?

“It’s fine, Adrien. You don’t have to protect me.” 

“But I owe you! You’re the reason I’m even in school.” He said. It was true! Mayor Bourgeois was the only reason Adrien was able to enroll without his dad knowing at first. “I just want to make sure you’re ok,” He said sadly.

“I know, and I appreciate that. I just don’t want you to think that I’m weak.”

“Chloe, she was being really insensitive earlier.”

“Yeah I know, that’s how she normally is. And that Cesaire girl, they’re annoying and utterly rude to me.”

“So then-”

“Ah ah ah, let me finish,” Chloe reprimanded, “They’re terrible and I know that. You know that. I’ll deal with them eventually, I have a few… things I’ve been planning.” He could practically hear Chloe smirking to herself.

“Fine, only if you’re sure.”

“Adrikins, have I ever lied to you?” 

Adrien laughed a little. “No, you haven’t. I trust you, Chloe.” 

“Good, I trust you too. Now if you don’t mind I’m going back to BED.”

The call ended with a click, and Adrien breathed a sigh of relief. He knew Chloe was strong, she had been since they were kids. 

“Plagg, I’ll see you in the morning.” He turned off his lights and fell into a dreamless sleep.

\-----

At school the next morning, Adrien sat on a bench waiting for Chloe and Sabrina to arrive. They were normally late anyways, so having to wait was nothing new. This morning, though, he watched as Marinette sat on a bench on the other side of the courtyard.

He wasn’t quite able to hear her, but he could tell she was talking with a bunch of kids from Chloe’s class. That class gave him weird vibes, anyway. Almost all of them had been akumas! Well, except for Marinette. 

If she was so mean, why did she have so many friends? Then again, Chloe spoke badly of everyone in her class excluding herself and sometimes Sabrina, so maybe they all shared the same temper. 

Chloe entered the courtyard, ignoring her classmates in favor of walking over to sit next to Adrien. 

“Why are you staring at her?” She asked cooly, taking a sip of her iced coffee.

“I- uh, I wasn’t staring! I swear.” Adrien turned red as he fumbled for an excuse. 

Chloe pursed her lips, looking Adrien up and down. “Adrikins, don’t ruin your eyes looking at trash like that. I’m right here!” Chloe gently grabbed Adrien’s chin and turned his head so he was looking at her.

“Chloe, you know I don’t see you that way.” Adrien said.

“One day you will, you’ll see what you’re missing out on.” She let go of his face and went back to drinking her coffee. Adrien preferred it that way early in the morning, he did not like dealing with a tired Chloe. 

Adrien went back to observing the people hanging out with Marinette. There was the Ladyblogger, he was familiar with her from his time as Chat Noir. She was… way too eager to get herself hurt, but hardly proved to be a real issue. There was a boy in a cap, he looked sort of chill? Oh wait, he was the Bubbler! He was akumatized because Marinette’s mom grounded her and didn’t let her go out. So they were loyal… 

Adrien sneaked a glance at Chloe next to him. She was scrolling on her phone, oblivious to the world. He loved her, and she was plenty loyal to him. He just didn’t like how she treated others sometimes, especially Sabrina!

Sabrina was a tentative third to their group, she came in and out as Chloe dictated. Adrien found her nice enough, but she was too willing to do what she was told. Chloe almost treated her as a maid, and he could hardly describe them as friends.

Chloe suddenly started swatting the air, letting her coffee sway precariously in her hand. “There’s a stupid bee! Adrien, kill it!” Before he could even begin to look for the bee, Chloe’s coffee spilled all over her white shirt. “Agh! This is so ridiculous, why didn’t you kill it faster?” She met his eyes with an angry glare.

“I didn’t-”

“WhatEVER, I’m going to the bathroom and calling daddy. I can’t go to class looking like  _ this. _ ” Chloe motioned to her outfit, storming off.

Adrien sighed, checking the time. He still had a solid ten minutes before he was supposed to go to class. Great, he would sit here like an idiot by himself. 

As he pulled out his phone, he heard a light chuckle from across the yard. He looked up to find the source, seeing Marinette and the class laughing. 

He moved to a closer bench, hoping to pass it off as getting away from the spilled coffee. While not perfectly in range, he was able to pick up snippets of conversation.

“Did you see Chloe?”

“That was so funny!”

“She had it coming.”

Adrien felt his hands clench in frustration. Were they making fun of Chloe’s mishap? That wasn’t cool at ALL. 

He stood up and walked over to the table, hands in pockets with a (hopefully) neutral expression on his face. “Uh, excuse me?”

All eyes turned to him, slightly apprehensive. Ah, so they did hear about him! He kind of expected that. 

“... Is there something you want?” A short girl with fiery pink hair asked. 

“Yeah um-” He really wasn’t good at confrontations without Chloe to defend him. Or, judging from last night, from behind a mask. “I heard you guys talking about Chloe… it was an accident, so can you please not talk about her that way?” 

The group exchanged looks, until the kid with the hat spoke up. “Uh, listen dude,” he started slowly, “I get that you want to defend your friend. But she would’ve laughed at any of us just the same.”

“Actually, more!” A tall goth girl added.

“That doesn’t make it right for you to laugh at her.” Adrien said, crossing his arms. 

“Maybe not, but at least we aren’t posting about it.” A boy- Kim, if he remembered correctly, said. Oh, he remembered that. Dark Cupid… that was a tough one. Ladybug didn’t like to talk about that particular akuma much, but he had no clue why! 

“I don’t think Chloe meant to hurt anyone’s feelings? At least not as badly as she did.” He defended.

“Adrien, I don’t think you understand.” Marinette said tiredly, holding her head on one hand. She was sketching something on a piece of paper, he couldn’t tell what, though. 

“What don’t I understand? You guys are being cruel.” 

Marinette looked up at him with a new fire in her eyes. “ _ We’re _ cruel?”

Adrien’s voice wavered as he answered with a quiet “yes.” 

As Marinette stood from the table, he caught a glimpse of what she had been sketching. It was a drawing of Chat Noir, and she just started detailing his bell. Why was she drawing him? Was she such a weirdo that she found it cute how he yelled at her the night before? She must like patronizing people!

“Frankly, I don’t think Chloe has been telling you the whole story. For your sake I hope that’s the case.” She stated, starting to gather her things.

“Chloe wouldn’t lie to me!” Adrien said, only gaining looks of sympathy from the other kids at the table.

Marinette smiled sadly, closing her eyes and taking a deep breath. “Look, Adrien. You seem like you could be a… nice… friend and you’re really devoted to Chloe. And I am sorry for my comment to you yesterday. But the thing is, I really  _ don’t  _ care what Chloe did or didn’t tell you.”

“That’s not fair to-” Adrien began.

Adrien was cut off by Chloe’s shriek as she charged over to the group, of course in a brand new outfit. “ADRIEN! What are you doing?”

“Don’t worry, Chloe. He was defending you. You haven’t lost your arm candy,” Marinette rolled her eyes and started to walk away, prompting the others to follow her. 

“You better walk away, Dupain-Cheng.” Chloe growled, latching onto Adrien’s arm. Once the others were out of earshot, Chloe lowered her voice to a whisper. “Thank you,” she said.

Adrien smiled down at her. “What are friends for?” he asked, patting her hand. 

  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope this explained what Adrien has been going through for the past two years! In canon, he really likes to give everyone the benefit of the doubt, so I don't feel like it was too OOC for him to stay loyal to Chloe, especially when he doesn't know anything else.


	3. Mouse

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Marinette reflects on her encounter with Chat Noir, and gets into a terrible situation.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TW: Attempted assault in this chapter. Nothing is too graphic or anything, just be aware and cautious! <3

Marinette huffed as she finished her homework. Everything was annoying her lately. First, there was still the interaction with Chat. Then, Adrien had the nerve to try and reprimand them. 

“Is everything ok?” Tikki asked, having finished her cookie.

Marinette smiled slightly, shrugging her shoulders. “Yeah, I guess?”

Tikki flew over to land on Marinette’s shoulder. “I’m sure Chat didn’t mean to be so rude.”

Marinette sighed, patting Tikki’s head. “Right… he’s just normally rude to civilians when Ladybug’s not around.”

Tikki shook her head. “He might have been having an off day! And you did drop a flower pot on his head.” 

Marinette stood, turning to face her kwami. “That. Was. An. ACCIDENT!”

“Of course it was an accident, Marinette, I just think you didn’t apologize the right way, if that makes sense?”

Marinette crossed her arms, staring at the little red being. “I told him I was sorry, it’s not my fault he took it the wrong way.” 

“You kept telling him to shut up, and that’s not how an apology works.” Tikki said, a little harsher. Marinette had a streak of being extremely stubborn, Tikki sometimes had to be rough with her advice.

After a beat of silence, Marinette finally sighed and sat back down on her chair. “Fine, maybe I was insensitive. I didn’t mean to be! I’m just used to him joking around and brushing that kind of thing off,” She defended.

“I understand that, but Chat doesn’t know  _ you.  _ He knows Ladybug, who he trusts with his life almost every day.”

Marinette started picking at her nail beds. “I guess…” she mumbled. 

“You should give him a genuine apology, Marinette.” Tikki smiled gently. 

“Why are you always right?” 

Tikki giggled slightly. “Because I am thousands of years old and have seen almost everything?”

Marinette laughed along with her. “Yeah, that would explain it.”

Footsteps rang out through the room as somebody climbed the stairs to the bedroom. Tikki flitted up to the loft just before Sabine opened the trapdoor.

“Hi sweetie, I know that it’s getting late but I need you to run to the store.” Sabine sighed.

“But it’s nearly 8!” Marinette said, looking out the window. It was already dark out!

“I know, but your dad forgot about a big order that’s being picked up tomorrow morning, and I didn’t buy enough lemons for this order, apparently.” Sabine answered. “I’ll give you money to get something for yourself too?”

“It’s fine, keep your money. I’ll be back in half an hour tops.” Marinette smiled, already slipping on her coat. 

“Be safe, sweetie. Stick to the main streets.” Sabine disappeared once again, leaving Marinette by herself.

“Come on, Tikki. The sooner we get those lemons the sooner I can finish sketching that sweater.”

\-----

20 minutes later, Marinette was heading back towards the bakery, a bag full of lemons in hand. It would’ve been heavy for anyone else, but with the exercise from being Ladybug and lifting sacks of flour in a bakery, Marinette had surprisingly good upper arm strength.

As she walked down the street, she remembered a slight shortcut she always took with Alya. When she went to turn down a side street that was dark, she felt Tikki press against her leg from inside her bag.

“Don’t worry Tikki, I’ve walked through here many times before. Besides, it’ll make the trip shorter.” Marinette whispered, swinging the bag.

As she walked further down the alley, however, a chill ran up her spine. Something felt off, almost like she was being watched.

She coughed slightly, hoping to scare off whoever might be around her. She quickened her pace.

Still, the feeling remained and became even stronger. Worse yet, she heard footsteps falling behind her as well. Marinette reached into her bag and pulled out her keys, placing them between her fingers like Alya taught her, and tried to sneak a glance around her. 

There, only ten or so steps behind her, was a large man with a less than friendly look on his face. His glare was locked on her, as though he was ready to pounce on her.

Marinette broke into a light jog, hoping to get to the other side of the alley before he got any closer. He wouldn’t do anything when they were on a main street, right?

Before she could consider the thought, she heard the man start running towards her, prompting her to follow suit. She reached into the grocery bag, grabbing one of the lemons and chucking it back to hit him in the face. 

That seemed to make him angrier, and it was only seconds before Marinette was tackled and pinned to the ground, the rest of the lemons rolling out of the bag and onto the floor.

Marinette felt her head ache as it hit the pavement. Did she have a concussion? She was almost certain she did, because the world was NOT supposed to be spinning so fast. Dazed from the knock to the head, she only weakly managed to jab the keys into the man’s side, barely grazing his jacket. 

“You’re gonna have to do a lot more than that if you want out, _little_ _mouse._ ” He chuckled darkly as he spat out the last word.

“L-let me go. I don’t have any money, I swear!” Marinette pleaded, desperately looking around for anything that would help. She would’ve been able to escape if the world would just STOP SPINNING. 

“I’m sure you have something of value…” The man held Marinette down while he searched her person, eventually switching to her bags. “What about this purse?”

Marinette weakly protested, knowing he was referring to the bag she kept Tikki in. “There’s nothing there, I spent all my money,” she said, trying to sit up.

“I have a hard time believing that,” He said, pushing her back down and hitting her head once again. 

Tikki must have phased out of the bag, as he threw it to the side with an aggravated growl. He started to search Marinette once again, before his eyes met her earlobes.

“Well those earrings look interesting, little mouse. I suppose I deserve some kind of reward.” He reached towards her earrings while Marinette tried to push him off of her.

His hands inched closer and closer to removing her earrings until-

“Hands off the lady, jackass.” A familiar voice called from behind her, making her sigh in relief. 

The man pulled away from Marinette, narrowing his eyes. “Who the hell do you think you are? Go away, this is none of your business.”

Chat stepped closer, pulling out his baton with a menacing growl. “Let me introduce myself.”

He grabbed the man by the collar, dragging him up and off of Marinette with ease. Marinette gasped for air, not realizing how the man had been practically crushing her. Her hands came to cradle the back of her head. She took a deep breath, thankful she didn’t feel any blood.

“I’m Chat Noir. You might know me as the hero of Paris.” Chat smiled condescendingly, punching the man in the jaw. 

After coming out of his stupor, Marinette’s attacker kneed Chat Noir in the stomach, throwing him to the side. Marinette could only watch as he started to run away. 

“Hey! Where do you think you’re going?” Chat caught his breath and extended his baton, tripping the man. Just as he did, a cop car pulled around the corner, effectively surrounding the attacker.

After a lengthy talk with the police, Chat assured them he would be taking Marinette home. He turned to her, not sure what to say.

“So uh- lucky I was here, right?” He said, averting his eyes.

Marinette only nodded, clutching her bag to her chest. Marinette had been cleared of concussions, but had some bruising on the back of her head. The paramedic told her to take it easy for a while, but she’d be alright. The lemons were a lost cause, but she was sure her mom would understand. 

“Are you ok? That must’ve been… terrifying.” Chat reached out to pat her shoulder awkwardly.

Marinette took a moment to respond. “I’m-” She hiccuped slightly, feeling tears brew in her eyes. “I’d like to go home now, please.” She said quietly, still holding tightly onto her bag.

Chat only nodded, picking her up and slowly bringing her back to her balcony. 

\-----

They landed softly on her balcony, Chat helping steady her before he let go. 

“Is there anything I can do?” He asked, still not sure how to approach this conversation. Even if he didn’t like her, she didn’t deserve anything bad to happen to her. 

She shook her head no, not meeting his eyes. 

He nodded, biting his lip. “I hope you have a nice night, I’m sorry that happened to you…” he started to jump off the railing when she caught his wrist, just like she did a few nights before.

“I’m sorry… about being insensitive the other day. I hurt you and it wasn’t fair of me to joke about it.” She said, looking up at him with tears rolling down her cheeks. He didn’t even realize she had been crying. 

“Oh. Don’t- don’t worry about that. It’s ok. You should go tell your parents you’re ok.” He said, extremely uncomfortable. Now really wasn’t the time for apologies. 

“And thank you, for tonight. I don’t know what would’ve happened if you hadn’t been there.” She still spoke softly, afraid to bring her voice to above a whisper.

He looked at her, feeling his heart break a little. The poor girl was just assaulted, screw what Chloe told him about her. “It’s a hero’s job, protecting civilians.” He said, smiling at her. He sighed, letting his eyes close. “Besides, I was being rude to you the other night, you deserve an apology as well. I’m sorry, that was unprofessional of me and I shouldn’t have taken my anger out on you just because I had a shitty day.”

Marinette nodded, realizing she was still holding his wrist. She quickly let go, taking a step back. “Do you think this will be on the news?”

He tilted his head, confused. “Why does it matter? The man’s going to jail either way, he was wanted for five other accounts of assault and robbery.” He said.

There was a pause before Marinette answered. “It’s just that… I don’t want everyone at school to feel bad. Today I was Marinette, but tomorrow I’ll be... the girl who was almost-” she cut herself off, “-you know.”

“Well, I don’t have a lot of experience with that kind of a thing,” Chat said, “But it’s ok to take some time to process. I’ve dealt with a lot of akuma victims, and while it’s not the same situation, it’s similar. You’re allowed to take a day or two off, Marinette.” 

Marinette nodded, wiping her eyes. “Thanks, Chat Noir. You should go now, I need to go talk to my parents.” 

Chat smiled stiffly, waving at her. “I hope things work out, then. Have a good night.” He slipped off her porch and into the night. 

Marinette headed down her trapdoor, only to have her parents waiting for her, twin looks of worry on their face.

\-----

If Chat Noir later came back to her balcony and left a bag of lemons, well, nobody was around to see. 

  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This isn't going to be strictly Marichat cause tbh that's just not possible if they're gonna have any character development lol. 
> 
> I hope you enjoyed this chapter, I'll see u guys in the next one! :)


	4. Thief

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Adrien deals with the fallout at school, while Marinette figures out her feelings at home.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This one took me a while to write, sorry for the late-ish post. 
> 
> Hope you enjoy! :)

The moment Adrien steps into school the next day, he knows the day is already going to be a waste. While scrolling on his phone the night before, he saw that a news story came out about Marinette and her attacker. He looked at the table where Marinette’s class usually sat, and indeed, at least five people were talking at once and pointing to their phones. 

Alya stood off to the side, trying to call someone. Adrien could only assume she was trying to talk to Marinette. 

He sighed, going over to a bench to sit down and wait for Chloe. He was really lucky he had been patrolling just a few buildings away… He called Ladybug after everything went down, but she didn’t pick up. She must’ve been detransformed, it was his night to patrol, after all.

The terror in Marinette’s eyes was something he didn’t want to see in anybody’s  _ ever _ . She looked so scared… At least he was able to save her and bring her back safely. Hell, he even apologized to her and vice versa. Maybe she wasn’t completely terrible? 

An air of iciness overtook Adrien as he looked up to find Chloe talking to her class. That in itself was weird, as Chloe never willingly talked to them. Adrien walked over to Chloe, preparing to greet her and maybe wish everyone else well with the news about Marinette. 

“-she was all alone, she was practically begging to be mugged!” Chloe said, voice taut and nose in the air. 

His heart dropped as he stepped closer to her. Surely she couldn’t be talking about…? 

“I’m actually going to punch this girl.” Alya whispered, only to be held down by the boy in a hat. 

Adrien frowned, “Chloe, what are you talking about?” 

Chloe whipped around, her face breaking into a smile when she recognized Adrien. “Oh Adrikins, that loser Marinette was almost robbed last night!”

“Yeah, I heard.” He turned to the rest of the class, a serious expression plastered on his face. “I’m sorry about your friend, I can’t imagine what you guys are going through.” 

Everyone at the table stared at him, not believing what they were hearing. Sure, they knew Adrien wasn’t quite as cruel as Chloe, but receiving genuine empathy from one of them was new. 

The boy with the cap nodded, smiling slightly at Adrien. “Thanks, dude.”

Chloe’s face turned to disgust. “Adrien, think about what you’re saying. This girl has been bullying me for years now.” 

“Shut up, you’re the bully here!” the pink haired girl shouted.

“Excuse me?” Chloe glared back, a sharp bite to her tone. 

The courtyard devolved into a series of shouts and fighting, all of them yelling at Chloe. Adrien could only watch, horrified at the display. Was this how their class always was? Why were they so divided? 

“Guys, you don’t need to-” Adrien tried telling them, waving his hand frantically. 

Alya and the rest of the class didn’t listen, 

“Marinette probably planned it herself for attention. Probably paid the thief to mess her up a bit.” Chloe said, cooling off and staring at her nails, a vicious smirk on her face. 

“ENOUGH.” Adrien yelled at Chloe. She looked at him, a slight quiver to her lip. 

“A-adrien?” She questioned.

He shook his head, grabbing her arm. “Excuse us…” He told the class, dragging Chloe over to a far corner of the courtyard. 

“What the hell was that?” He demanded, crossing his arms. He had only been angry at Chloe a handful of times, but nothing like this. NEVER like this. What was Chloe thinking?

“Adrikins I-”

“No. I’m not Adrikins, I told you I hate that nickname. You’re my best friend, Chlo. Why would you say those things? That’s not the person I know,” He pleaded with her, desperate to understand. Chloe was blunt and stubborn and annoyingly honest, but she wasn’t mean… or so he thought.

“You don’t understand. Marinette loves positive attention, and she’s too smart to actually walk into a dark alley at night. Why don’t you trust me on this? Something is definitely up, I know it.” She defended herself, taking a step back from him. 

“Everyone has lapses in judgement, you can’t say that they deserved it! You can’t say those things, Chlo! Do you know how much that can hurt someone?” 

Chloe put her hands on her hips, narrowing her eyes. “It’s not hurtful if it’s the truth. You’re too naive, Adrien.” 

“No I’m not. You don’t know the truth, Chloe. Have you spoken to Marinette?” He asked, reaching out for her. 

“As if I would talk to Dupain-Cheng. She’s lucky I’m still in her class, to be honest.” Chloe screwed up her nose.

There was a long pause, Adrien didn’t know what to do. Chloe was… he didn’t understand why she was acting like this. She never was like this, not even when the waiter gets her order wrong and she threatens to close the restaurant. Those times he’s able to talk her down. Now, though, Chloe was absolutely furious.

“You should go apologize.” He whispered, letting his eyes fall to the floor. 

“What?” Her head snapped up.

“You were being insensitive. Defending yourself is one thing, Chloe. I can understand that.  _ This _ ,” he pointed to the group of kids who were still frantically talking and texting their friend, “I can’t. You should go apologize.”

Chloe’s face morphed into one of disappointment. “No, Adrien. I know that I’m right, and I’m sorry you can’t see that.” 

She brushed past him, heading over to where Sabrina was sitting. Adrien reached out for her, wanting to apologize to her and get this over with. What was the point of fighting with her if it didn’t make a difference? She wasn’t going to change, why should he try and change her? 

He reached into his shirt pocket, petting Plagg’s head gently. Sometimes it felt like he was his only friend in this world.

\-----

Marinette felt  _ great _ . After the initial shock wore off, she had agreed with her parents to stay home for the week. Still, it felt like she should be doing something.

So, she spent her days sewing the designs she put off for weeks. She answered emails she was never able to respond to, commissions she had forgotten about. It was the most productive week Marinette had in months!

She smiled to herself as she sketched a new design happily, Tikki on her shoulder. The kwami was worried Marinette wasn’t dealing with her emotions and was pushing them down, but how would she even do that? 

If she was upset she would’ve been crying all the time, so she obviously was perfectly fine! Sure, she hadn’t answered her phone all day, but she was busy. It was fine.

She hadn’t eaten much, but that was fine too. She often went through days when she only had dinner because she was so inspired and lost in her designs. 

Of course everything was ok!

Her phone buzzed once more, and she hesitated to look at it. Her friend's texts only served to bring her down and make her remember the night she wanted to forget. 

Tikki went to go look at the text instead, as had been their system since that night. Marinette didn’t think much of it and went back to drawing when Tikki placed the phone next to her. 

“Your friends are getting worried. You should try and text some of them back,” the kwami said, nudging the phone towards her. 

Marinette shook her head. “I’m not in the mood right now. Maybe later, Tikki.” Her eyes wandered to the window, watching the Parisian lights glowing in the night sky. 

Tikki flew up in front of Marinette’s face. “You’ve been avoiding this for too long. Answer your phone.  _ Please. _ ” 

Marinette rolled her eyes, picking up the phone. “Fine, happy?” She scrolled through the texts. Over 100 new messages… wow. She hadn’t left her phone for that long, right? 

She scrolled through her messages. The most were from Alya and Nino, with several missed calls from each. She felt a lump form in her throat at the thought of them. Still, she responded with shaky thumbs.

_ Hey guys, I’m ok. I’ll be back next week, I miss you guys. Thank you for the concern! <3\.  _

She copied and pasted the message to the rest of her class, knocking out the majority of her texts. She then turned to responding to concerned family members. 

After she was finished, one message still remained. She didn’t have the contact information, it was an unknown number.

_ Hi Marinette, it’s Adrien. I’m sorry to hear about what happened, I hope you’re doing better! :) _

She scoffed, tossing her phone onto her bed. What a creep, who even gave him her number? 

“Is everything ok?” Tikki asked.

“Yeah, probably just a prank text. I’ll be f-” Marinette was interrupted as a knock came from the skylight that led to her balcony. Her heart dropped, and she quickly motioned for Tikki to hide. 

She frantically looked around her room for some kind of a weapon. Settling on a cane she had been decorating for Master Fu, she swung the latch open and jumped up onto the balcony, prepared to attack. 

Instead of a thief or criminal, however, she saw Chat Noir blinking in surprise. “Uh- hi?”

She lowered the cane, breathing a sigh of relief. Just seeing Chat Noir made her relax. He was literally her hero, even though he was her friend first. Not that he could know that, though.

“Hi, Chat Noir. What are you doing here?” She asked, leaning the cane against the brick wall. 

“I wanted to check on you, you seemed really shaken up that night,” He said, looking her up and down. 

“I’m fine, obviously. I’ve been really good, actually.” She smiled at him, adding a thumbs up. 

“Are you sure?” He seemed surprised. Why was everyone questioning her lately? Why didn’t they trust her to take care of herself?

“Yes, Chat. Everything is  _ perfect. _ ” She added.

Chat smirked a little, “I think you mean  _ purr _ -fect.”

She stifled a snort, hiding her mouth behind her hand. “Right, sure. If that’s what you want. By the way, thank you for the lemons.” She loved his puns, but this was the first he said to Marinette. Finally!

He scratched his head, “I don’t recall giving you any lemons. Maybe it was another cat?” He said, a twinkle in his eye.

“Mhmm, right. Do you want a snack?” She started to head back down to her loft. 

“It’s ok, I was only stopping by…” He turned awkward again, hanging back.

“Think of it as a little thank you gift, after all-” She stopped short as she dropped onto her bed, seeing her phone had one new message. 

She opened it up, being met with a voicemail from none other than Chloe. She hesitantly pressed play, shakily bringing the phone up to her ear. 

_ Listen, Dupain-Cheng. I don’t know who you think you are, but you are obviously doing this shit for attention. I was just beginning to hope that you dropped out of school permanently, but now you’re coming back next week. Nobody misses you, everyone just pities you. I’ll see you on Monday,  _ **_trash._ **

Marinette covered her mouth, feeling tears stream from her eyes. Why was Chloe so much worse lately? Ever since last year, she became more brutal and mean. The once bratty snob had been replaced with someone who enjoyed being cruel. 

She heard Chat Noir peer into her room. “Is everything alright?” He asked. Right, he was still here. 

She quickly wiped her eyes and scrambled down to the kitchen to gather some cupcakes. 

Her chest was heaving, and she felt bile rise in the back of her throat. She couldn’t do this, she couldn’t do this,  _ she couldn’t do this _ . Still, she pushed it down. 

_ Just pretend long enough for it to go away, _ she told herself.  _ He doesn’t have to know.  _

She popped back into her room, a fake smile on her face. “Here you go!” She cried cheerfully, feeling her eyes sting with the effort of holding back tears. 

“That’s so nice of you, Marinette.” He said, thankfully oblivious to her inner turmoil. “Now I really do have to go.”

“Right,” She whispered. He was taking too long. He needed to leave now. Please leave. 

“I’ll see you around, stay safe Marinette!” He smiled at her, closing her trapdoor and jumping off the balcony. 

She sighed, collapsing onto her bed and sobbing. She felt Tikki pat her back, murmuring soothing words. 

“Everything will be ok,” Tikki said, a frown on her face.

Marinette looked up at her kwami, letting a small smile slip onto her face. “I know.” 

  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi, just wanna give my thoughts on Chloe! I do love her, and I think she should've gotten a real redemption arc in the show. The thing is, I think that without Adrien's constant influence and the way she did actually go in the show, she definitely could've gotten worse. 
> 
> Both Marinette and Chloe were affected by Adrien's presence in the class, but here that was taken away. Chloe didn't have a reason to be nice to anyone, and Marinette didn't have a reason to constantly forgive Chloe. 
> 
> These are just my thoughts, though, and everyone is entitled to their own interpretations!
> 
> I hope you have a great day, see you tomorrow!


	5. Dare

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Marinette returns to school while Adrien finds out more information about Chloe!

Marinette woke up on Monday morning feeling like shit. Chloe’s voicemail was a cloud over her head for the rest of the weekend, and she honestly didn’t know how she was going to make it through today.

“Sweetie, are you up? I don’t want you to be late,” Sabine’s voice rang from the kitchen. 

Groaning, Marinette pulled herself out of bed and forced herself to get dressed. She pulled on a pair of jeans and a light purple hoodie. Today wasn’t a day she wanted to play fashion designer, not now. Not today. 

“Yeah, mom. I’m coming downstairs now,” She picked up her school bag, smiling at Tikki. “At least I can see my friends,” 

Tikki smiled, nodding her head. “Everything's going to be fine, I promise.” Tikki flew into her bag, no doubt enjoying the three cookies stashed in it.

Marinette grabbed her phone on the way down, smiling at her mom. Her poor parents had been doting on her all the time, and while she loved them, she was sick of being treated like she was fragile. 

“Have a good day at school! If you need me I’ll have my cell phone in my pocket all day, don’t be afraid to call me.” Sabine smiled, kissing her daughter’s cheek. 

Marinette smiled, grabbing a banana from the fruit bowl. “Thanks, maman. I’ll see you after school.” 

She headed out, stepping onto the sidewalk and walking the very short distance to her school. Alya and Nino were waiting for her on the steps, a giant smile on their faces. 

Before Marinette could open her mouth, she was nearly tackled by the reporter. “Oh my god Nette I’ve missed you so much, so much has been going on and-” She pulled away, holding Marinette at an arm’s distance. “How are you feeling? Did you get my texts? I tried to visit, and so did Nino, I was so worried!” Alya said in one breath.

Nino chuckled, walking over to the pair. “We missed you, Nette.” He lightly punched Marinette in the arm. 

Marinette brought them both into a hug, relaxing in their grip. She always felt safe with them, like nothing could hurt her. It was her choice to not allow anyone to visit her but still… she missed them both.

“What’ve I missed?” She asked, pulling back and starting to walk into the building.

Nino and Alya both hesitated, looking at each other in a way that made Marinette uncomfortable.

“Well…” Nino started, not sure what to tell her.

Alya sighed. “Basically, Chloe’s being a bitch about it,” she said bluntly. 

Marinette only nodded. She knew this, she heard the voicemail herself. Still, it felt like there should’ve been something more to it. Was there? 

“And that Adrien dude has been defending you,” Nino added. 

Wait, what?

“What do you mean defending me?” She asked. She thought the text was a prank, maybe a dare. She was only gone for a week!

“OH my god you should’ve seen it. Chloe was yelling at us but then Adrien was like ‘you shouldn’t be so mean!’ and totally yelled at her for it,” Alya laughed, leading the way up to their classroom. “Now he’s been avoiding her and she’s super pissed. So maybe not the best for us, but still. Good to know he’s got a spine,” She smiled, entering the room.

Marinette was still hesitant. Why was he suddenly against Chloe? For the past year and a half he largely just stayed out of everything. Sure, he was clearly always on Chloe’s side, but he never went out of his way to be involved. He ESPECIALLY didn’t disagree with Chloe.

“O-oh? Well maybe he finally learned some sense. Serves him right, I guess,” Marinette drifted off, taking her seat and smiling at her classmates.

Chloe wasn’t here yet, which would’ve been abnormal if Marinette didn’t know her cycle. Get upset, throw a tantrum, miss a day or two of school, then come back with a new designer wardrobe. 

As Marinette looked back at the board, she realised that she had missed a whole week worth of math. 

Shit.

\----- 

At lunch time, Adrien filed out of his class with the rest of his classmates. Chloe wasn’t here, so he was stuck with Sabrina for the time being. She excitedly waved him over, patting the seat next to her. 

He slid into the seat, smiling at her politely. “Hi, Sabrina. How was your weekend?”

Sabrina’s smile wavered and she lost a bit of her enthusiasm. “It was alright… Chloe didn’t feel like hanging out, though.” She stabbed at her salad dejectedly. 

Adrien raised an eyebrow at that. “Did you only ask Chloe?” 

She nodded, shrugging her shoulders. “It’s ok! I’m used to it, it’s nothing new.” 

“Don’t you have other friends? The kids in your class seem…” He looked over to their normal table. They were all joking with each other, and he couldn’t help but notice Marinette in the center of it all. Was that what it was like having more than two or three friends? His heart ached at the thought, at the possibility of feeling like he belonged somewhere. “They seem nice, actually.”

Sabrina looked sharply up at him, studying his face. “They are, but Chloe doesn’t like me talking to them,” She looked around before dropping her voice to a whisper. “Is it true?”

Adrien shifted in his seat, uncomfortable under her stare. “Uh… is what true?”

“You defended Marinette, Adrien. I don’t think Chloe’s very happy,” she said, her words sounding sympathetic.

He sighed, shrugging. “I guess? Chloe shouldn’t have said those things about Marinette. Is she always like that in class?” Sabrina was Chloe’s best friend other than him, but he knew she was more likely to listen to reason and not jump at the chance to attack anyone. Besides, she was quite sweet when she didn’t follow anyone else. 

Sabrina hesitated a moment. “You have to promise you won’t tell Chloe I said any of this.” 

“I promise,” Adrien said, afraid of what Sabrina had to say.

She took a deep breath before continuing. “So Chloe doesn’t always… play nice. She wasn’t always this bad, you know that. Then last year… her mom left for New York. She didn’t even offer to take Chloe and she’s been gone ever since. After that it was like Chloe was done with everyone,”

Adrien knew that Chloe’s mom left, but he didn’t know it affected her that much. She acted like she didn’t care, and he didn’t want to bring it up in front of her. 

“I didn’t know that… but why Marinette?” He still didn’t know why there was such bad blood between them. Chloe never provided an explanation. 

Sabrina shrugged at that. “I really don’t know. I’m pretty sure something happened last year, but you’d have to ask Chloe.  _ Marinette  _ doesn’t even seem to know why,” she explained.

Adrien nodded, looking back at Marinette. She was talking and laughing with Alya, but her eyes snapped up to meet his. Her stare turned cold, immediately going back to talking with her friends. Adrien felt his face heat up at getting caught, his eyes falling to the table. 

Sabrina awkwardly patted his arm, but said nothing else. 

“You’re a good friend, Sabrina.” He said, smiling at her. 

She looked surprised, almost like nobody had praised her like that in a while. Quickly, she smiled back. “Thanks, you too.” 

They both went back to eating their lunch in silence, Adrien feeling more confused than before.

\-----

After school, Marinette waited inside the archway of the school. Of course it had to rain today of all days. Her hoodie was too thin to actually protect her from the rain, and she hadn’t thought to check the weather and bring an umbrella. She sighed, pulling the hood up and bracing for the short run to the bakery. 

Today had been exhausting, and she just wanted to be alone. She declined Alya’s offer to hang out after school, planning a long nap and a night of homework. 

She heard somebody walk out of the building next to her, taking a moment to stop and presumably open their umbrella. 

“Um, hey?” Her head whipped around to see Adrien Agreste standing next to her, looking sheepish with a black umbrella in his hand. 

She scoffed, taking a step away from him. “Hi. Nice text, by the way. Tell Chloe it was very funny.” 

“It wasn’t a joke. I really am sorry for what happened to you,” He sounded hurt, his eyes full of worry. 

“Why should I believe you? It’s not like we’re friends,” Marinette shot back. 

Adrien rubbed the back of his neck, considering his words carefully. “I know that, Marinette. I just don’t think… I didn’t know what was going on. I’m sorry for what Chloe said about you, and I’m sorry if I’ve caused you any hurt in the past. I’ve kinda just stood by and let her say stuff about you. I’ve been in school for nearly two years and I still don’t know how to make friends or talk to people.” He realized he was rambling and shook his head. “The point is, I’m sorry, Marinette. Could we start over?” 

Marinette stared at him with wide eyes as he offered his umbrella to her. She hesitated a moment before taking hold of the umbrella, successfully avoiding touching his hand. She smiled shakily, staring down at her feet. “Yeah… that’d be nice.” 

He nodded, hearing a car honk and noticing his driver was waiting for him. “I’ve gotta go… but it was really nice talking to you.” He smiled and took off running towards the car as Marinette waved slightly. 

Once the car pulled out of view, Tikki flew up to hug Marinette’s cheek. “See, I told you everything would be ok!” 

Marinette started down the stairs, smiling at her kwami. “I still don’t know how I feel about him, to be honest.” 

Tikki nodded her head. “It’s ok, nobody said you had to forgive him right away. He let some really awful things slide. Still it’s a start.”

Marinette opened the door to the bakery, placing the umbrella near the door. “Yeah… a start.” She whispered to herself, greeting her parents. 

  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So updates might be a little later for the next few days, sorry about that!
> 
> If you have any questions about this AU, I'd be happy to answer them in the comments! Also, I liked the idea of writing the umbrella scene in a different context. I don't think Marinette would forgive Adrien right away, but like she said, this is a start!
> 
> I hope you enjoyed, I'll see you guys tomorrow! :)


	6. Hold My Baton

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Adrien has a talk with Alya, and a new akuma brings the heat!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I am posting this at 1 am but like technically it's May 6th somewhere!
> 
> I hope you enjoy! :)

The next day at school, Adrien was once again sitting by himself while he waited for class to start. He idly scrolled down Instagram, responding to comments and liking posts he found funny. He mostly followed meme accounts along with the normal celebrities, especially liking the Chat Noir memes he found. 

A breeze flew through the open courtyard, making Adrien pull his coat tighter onto himself. It was only mid November, and yet it felt like late December already. He looked up to see Marinette talking with her friends, clad in a pink jacket with matching knee-high boots. 

She seemed to be doing a lot better since that night, and Adrien was happy for her. He still had yet to hold another conversation with her outside the mask, and she still seemed hesitant to talk to him. While he understood, a part of him was saddened by this. He thought they had taken a step to becoming friends, hadn’t they? 

Realizing he had been staring too long, he tried to avert his eyes back to his phone, but the quick movement caught Marinette’s attention, causing the entire table to look his way. 

Adrien raised his hand awkwardly, giving a slight wave and smile. The class exchanged confused looks, except for Marinette. She furrowed her eyebrows, giving a small wave back. Ok… that was way too weird. 

The rest of the class nearly pounced on Marinette as they no doubt questioned her about her sudden friendliness with him. He couldn’t blame them, for all they knew the two had never had a conversation alone. 

He observed as Alya looked around, almost as if to make sure nobody was watching her. She stood, making her way over to his bench and taking a seat next to him. She peered at him over her glasses, tapping her fingers on her lip.

“Ok, spill. What’d you say to Marinette?” She said at last.

Adrien spluttered, feeling his cheeks heat up. “I’m sorry, what?”

“A week ago she hated your guts, now you’re waving at her and she’s actually waving back. You expect me to believe something  _ didn’t  _ happen?” 

Another chill kicked up, causing them both to shiver. While the open courtyard was nice in the spring and early fall, it was really a pain in the ass literally any other time. 

“I just apologized to her, that’s it. I didn’t do anything, I swear.” Adrien said, defending himself.

Alya narrowed her eyes at him, a fire held deep within them. Since when was this girl so scary?

Finally, she sighed, letting her gaze soften. “Ok, let’s say you did apologize. You still have a long way to go, Agreste.” 

“I-I know,” he said, shifting uncomfortably, “I just don’t get why you all see me as so bad, to be honest.” 

Adrien felt hair whack him in the face as she flipped her head to look at him once more. “Ok, I’m going to explain something.” When Adrien didn’t make a comment, she continued. “We don’t exactly like Chloe.”

He rolled his eyes, still feeling a pit of dread in his stomach at her name. She was still his friend... he felt bad talking about this. “I figured that much, I’m not stupid you know.”

Alya laughed a little, patting his shoulder. “I know, obviously. You’re like, the top student in the school. Well, besides Max.” She pointed to a short guy wearing glasses and… suspenders?

Adrien found himself laughing a little with her. “Ok, so what’s your point?”

“Oh, right! Basically, you’re friends with our tormenter,” She stated bluntly. Nearly choking, she raised a hand to let her continue. “You seem ok, and it takes guts to apologize. Still, Marinette especially is going to need time. As for me and the rest of us… well, I don’t know. You haven’t done anything to show us you aren’t just playing secret agent.”

“That’s… fair,” Adrien rubbed the back of his neck.

As Alya opened her mouth to continue, the front door of the school was set on fire, students screaming as they fled to the back of the school.

Adrien and Alya looked up to see a girl with flaming- LITERALLY FLAMING- red hair, complete with a scepter. 

“I’m sick and TIRED of this cold weather! Soon, Paris will be turned into an eternal summer! Ladybug and Chat Noir, come out now or prepare to be burnt!”

Whipping out her phone, Alya bounced out of the seat and rushed forward. Adrien caught her arm, pulling her back.

“Where are you  _ going? _ !” He shouted. No wonder their class attracted so many akumas, they willingly chased after them!

She rolled her eyes, pointing at her phone. “I run the Ladyblog, duh.” The boy with the hat ran over to her, seeing the phone in her hand with a resigned expression on his face.

“I’m guessing we are going after her, aren’t we?” He sighed, looking over to Adrien. Slightly confused, he smiled awkwardly. “You’re the Adrien dude, right?” At Adrien’s subtle nod, he was barely able to establish himself as Nino before Alya dragged him away, following the akuma.

Running to the nearest bathroom, he quickly called on his transformation, wanting to get this akuma over with. 

Vaulting himself to a rooftop, he was quickly joined by Ladybug herself. 

“Well, looks like things are  _ heating  _ up, aren’t they, milady?” He wiggled his eyebrows, earning a snort in response.

“Just try not to catch on fire, Chaton. I’d rather not have to dunk you in the Seine.” Ladybug flew off towards the akuma, leaving Chat pouting in the back.

“Hey, you didn’t even comment on my pun!”

\-----

Nearly an hour later, the duo had yet to figure out how to take down the akuma, Global Warming as she called herself. Yikes. 

Ladybug’s earrings beeped out her five minute warning. Her lucky charm had given her oven mitts! Freakin OVEN MITTS!

“Now doesn’t seem like the best time to bake, Bugaboo!” Chat called, dodging a ball of fire. 

Ladybug shook her head, looking around her. Sure, oven mitts were meant for heat, but not for actual fire! 

Down to four minutes, Ladybug scrambled to find a solution. The only thing that was striking her as a possibility was Chat’s baton, but how would she even use that? 

Another fireball slammed just inches to the left of Chat. They had seen bad akumas, but this was just ridiculous!

Another beep left Ladybug with three minutes. Releasing a goan of frustration, she pulled Chat back by the yoyo. “This isn’t working. I have to go recharge, try and distract little miss hot headed until I get back,” She said, preparing to leave.

Chat nodded in response, pulling out his baton and heading back into the fight scene. 

Once Ladybug was gone, he tried to attack Global Warming from every angle. He couldn’t get too close to her, though, and that was the problem. He’d seen her melt parts of buildings and lampposts- no way was he getting near that!

Trying to strike her once more, Global Warming caught his baton, flinging him away and sending him crashing into a wall. Laughing to herself, she tried to melt the mysterious metal, only to find it was unmeltable.

“Magic baton, cool right?” He joked, feeling a pain in his shoulder and slightly panicking.

Shouting in frustration, Global Warming was only able to heat the metal until she tossed it away, leaving it still smoking on the ground. “You know what else would be cool? Your  _ miraculous, _ ” 

Global Warming stalked near him, cornering him in a ring of fire he couldn’t get out of. His baton was too far and he had nothing to use cataclysm on. 

_ I’m sorry, Ladybug, _ he thought, preparing to get third degree burns. 

Instead, his baton came flying into the back of Global Warming’s head with a resounding  _ SMACK! _

Falling to the ground unconscious, the baton clattered next to the akuma, still burning hot. Chat leaned down to pick it up, only to hiss and draw his hand away. Anyone who would have picked this up would have severe burns on their hands and need medical attention! Who was crazy enough to-

“Marinette?” He questioned, seeing the girl with two oven mitts on her hands. She was bouncing up and down, looking between Chat and the still unconscious akuma.

“I’ve always wanted to do that!” She said, skipping over to Chat, the ring of fire now extinguished. Pulling the oven mitts off, her hands were revealed to be perfectly fine. 

“Do you- what- WHY?” Chat shouted, eyes blown wide in shock. She just… had Ladybug said something to her? Where WAS Ladybug?

“Well, Ladybug wasn’t back yet and you were about to lose! I couldn’t let my favorite superhero lose when I was here to help,” She answered, smiling brightly. “I hope you didn’t mind me holding your baton?”

Chat shook his head. “I didn’t mind at all! Thank you, that was so awesome holy-” he slowly smirked, looking her up and down. “Did you just say your favorite superhero?” He asked, leaning closer to her.

She scoffed, pushing him away by the shoulder. “I don’t remember that,” She replied, biting the inside of her cheek to keep a grin off her face. 

He hummed, reaching down to pick up the akuma’s scepter, a grin on his face. “How’d you know how to use oven mitts, though?”

At the question, Marinette’s face dropped. “Uh, I was watching Ladybug and she got a pair for her lucky charm! Then she disappeared and it seemed like a good… opportunity?” 

Chat considered the answer for a moment, then shrugged. It wasn’t the first time he had help from a civilian. “Cool, that was some quick thinking! Do you need a way to get home? I need to wait until Ladybug gets back until we can… ya know.” He made a motion of breaking the scepter.

She quickly shook her head, smiling at him. “It’s ok, I have to go find my friends. That is really nice of you, though.”

“If you insist!” He said, turning to vault towards the roofs. Having a second thought, he turned back around, holding his fist up for her. “Wait! Since you helped me take down an akuma… Pound it?” 

She gaped a little at the gesture, her eyebrows rising in shock. Still, she bumped his fist lightly. “Pound it,” She said. 

  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We r going to ignore the fact that lucky charms disappear after Ladybug detransforms!
> 
> On another note, I have sort of edited the outline and finished an application that was giving me a lot of stress! So yayyy!
> 
> I'll maybe see y'all tomorrow, have a good night! :)


	7. Disguise

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Woop woop we are BACK babey! 
> 
> Also, fair warning, this chapter is the calm before the storm so uhhhh enjoy!! :)

After returning to school, Marinette took her normal seat next to Alya. 

“Hey, Al. Get any good footage?” She asked, panicking a little. Looking back on it, it was so SO stupid to let her civilian self help out with an akuma. People would definitely talk about it, and if people noticed Ladybug was coincidentally missing then-

Alya sighed, lightly banging her head on the table. “At first I did, but then that stupid akuma set a whole street on fire and Nino made us leave.” She glared pointedly at the boy in front of them.

“Oh yes, blame the man who doesn’t wanna be burnt to a crisp,” He threw his hands up in exasperation. 

Giggling, Marinette breathed a sigh of relief. Ok, good. There was no footage of her! That was great!

“Where were you?” Nino asked, turning to look at her.

“Hiding, duh,” she commented. “Not everyone goes towards the danger, FYI!”

Alya gasped. “Was that directed at me?” She placed a hand on her chest, pretending to be scandalized.

“Babe, you were almost a sacrifice for a ritual once, How could it NOT be directed at you?” Nino asked, patting her hand. 

Faking a pout, she leaned over to kiss his cheek. “To be fair, you weren’t there for that one, so you can’t talk,” she said. Suddenly, her head whipped around to Marinette. “Speaking of talking, I heard Agreste apologized to you. Why didn’t you tell me?” 

Looking down to her hands, Marinette started fiddling with her lucky charm bracelet. “It didn’t seem that important. He apologized, we moved on,,” she said.

Alya looked a little surprised. “Oh, I thought he was coming onto you or something. He actually apologized?” 

Swatting Alya’s arm, Marinette blushed a little. “He wasn’t flirting with me. And… yeah? It did seem legit, I guess.” She admitted. 

“Ok… I just don’t want you to be hurt by another one of Chloe’s stupid plans.” Alya said slowly. They both looked over Chloe’s seat, still empty. 

“That won’t happen, Alya. Just trust me, I don't think he's all bad.” She answered easily, pulling out her notebook. 

Alya bit her lip, looking nervously at Marinette before nodding. “I know, girl. You’ve got good instincts.”

With that, their teacher walked in, starting the lesson and ending all conversation.

\-----

Adrien pulled his hood up farther around his hair, pushing his sunglasses further onto his face. Ok, maybe this wasn’t his best idea ever. 

Plagg snickered from the inside of his hood. “Why couldn’t you just ask to visit the bakery?” He asked. 

“Father barely lets me out of the house to go to school, you think he’d let me out to buy a cupcake?” Adrien snorted, picking up the pace. 

“You sure it has nothing to do with a certain girl?” Plagg said.

Adrien blushed bright red, swatting the area where Plagg was hiding. “We’ve barely spoken, Plagg.” 

Pulling open the door to the bakery, he breathed in the scent of vanilla. For a Friday afternoon, the shop was surprisingly empty. Only a few people sat at tables, and as Adrien neared the counter, he realized he had no clue what to order.

A short woman with dark hair smiled gently at him from behind the counter. “Welcome! What would you like, dear?” She asked.

“To be honest, I don’t know anything about the menu,” He admitted sheepishly, drumming his fingers on the countertop.

“That’s ok, do you have any idea of what you like?” 

“Well, I’m fond of choco-”

“Why are you here?” Marinette entered the main room from what he presumed to be the kitchen, clad in an apron stained with flour.

The woman turned around, breaking into a slight frown. “Marinette, be nice to our customers!” 

“Sorry, maman” she sighed. Oh, so this woman was Marinette’s mother! Her sights turned back to Adrien. “You can take off the hood and glasses, Adrien.” She said, slightly annoyed with his ridiculousness.

He lowered his hood and removed the glasses quickly, embarrassed at being caught. “I just wanted to uh… try some of the pastries!” Why did he sound so unsure! 

Narrowing her eyes, Marinette whispered something to her mother, who smiled and went into the back, leaving the two alone.

“So what do you want?” She asked, pulling on a pair of plastic gloves and moving over to the displays.

“Um, I don’t really know.”

Marinette rolled her eyes. “How don’t you know?” She asked.

“I’m not exactly allowed to order sweets for myself, I’ve never been to a bakery alone before, actually.” Adrien said, eyes flickering between Marinette and the door nervously. Maybe he could make a quick escape before he embarrassed himself anymore!

Marinette’s gaze, however, softened considerably. “Is that why you had to wear that disguise?” 

He nodded. She probably thought it was stupid and that he was just a rich boy with rich boy issues. 

“Well that’s bullshit-” 

“Marinette, language!” Her mother called from the kitchen.

Tell your dad or whoever doesn’t let you out that I think that rule’s garbage,” Marinette reached down, grabbing a box and starting to fill it with one of everything in the display case.

Adrien waved his hands frantically. “Wait you don’t have to do that! I can’t bring all that home.”

Marinette paused, realizing her mistake. “Well I can’t put it back now that they’ve all been put in the box,” she started, “You can… stay, I guess.”

He immediately perked up, his eyes shining. “Really?”

Hesitating, Marinette placed the box of pastries down on the counter. “Sure… just uh, give me a second.” She handed him the box, then disappeared into the back.

He vaguely heard Marinette talking to her mom, saying she was going to take a break. When she came back out, her apron was off and her hair was pulled back into a ponytail.

“Ok, we can go sit in the park if you want.” She reached over to the coat rack and pulled off a pink coat, slipping it on.

Nodding, they walked in silence to the park across from the school. The box of pastries sat unopened between them as neither attempted to make conversation.

Marinette was scrolling idly on her phone, expecting Adrien to do the same. He knew she still didn’t trust him… what was he supposed to say?

“I- uh, it was awesome how you helped Chat Noir with Global Warming the other day,” 

Marinette dropped her phone, scrambling to pick it up. “Y-you SAW that?” She asked, clearly surprised. 

Picking it up for her and handing it back, Adrien nodded. “Yeah! I was hiding in one of the buildings near there and I saw you use Chat’s baton. That was really cool of you,” He said, opening the box and taking out a croissant. 

She continued to stare at the ground, almost… hyperventilating? Did he freak her out? He didn’t want to seem like he was stalking her or something!

“I wasn’t following you, though! I wouldn’t do that and you probably weren’t even thinking that, now that I think about it. Uh, ignore me!” He shoved the rest of his croissant in his mouth, wanting to pull his hoodie back on and run away.

He expected her to tell him that he was a creepy stalker and to get away from her, but instead she giggled. Marinette Dupain-Cheng  _ giggled  _ because of him!

Try telling that to the Adrien from a month ago. 

“I didn’t think you were.” She patted his shoulder. Realizing the contact, she immediately drew her hand away. 

“So… what’d you think of Chat Noir?” He asked, genuinely curious.

“Honestly… he’s so cool,” Marinette said, a slight blush taking over her cheeks. “He’s just… he saves Paris everyday and yet he’s still so down to earth and nice.” She smiled softly to herself, then realized she was talking to Adrien. “But you know… he’s a superhero, so I should’ve expected that.”

Had he really made that good of an impression? 

The conversation flowed easily after that, each sharing their thoughts on the superheroes and… bonding? At least, Adrien hoped so! With Chloe being gone for so long and not answering his texts, it was nice to have somebody else besides Plagg to talk to.

His phone rang, causing his heart to leap out of his chest. The caller id read  _ Nathalie _ , and he groaned as he saw the time. He was gone for an hour! Adrien only meant to be gone for 15 minutes tops.

Ignoring the call, Adrien stood and dusted himself of pastry crumbs. “Thank you so much, Marinette. I really didn’t mean to stay out for this long, honestly, so I should get going.”

Marinette nodded, standing along with him. “I hope you don’t get into too much trouble, I wouldn’t have kept you so long.” 

“Don’t worry about that, it was my fault for coming to the bakery, anyways.” 

“You wanted a treat, there’s no harm in that.” She smiled, and for the first time it seemed genuine. 

“I’ll see you at school on Monday,” he said, pulling up his hood and taking out the sunglasses once more.

She laughed, burying her hands in the pockets of her coat. “Sure. Next time, you should get a better disguise, cause that is just not cutting it.” She started to walk out of the park towards her side of the street, waving goodbye.

Adrien waved back, turning around to start the walk home.

As he did, he heard a phone camera  _ click  _ along with a girl screaming his name.

Shit.

  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ah, we love Adrienette friendship development. 
> 
> Im not completely in love w this chapter but it's ok
> 
> I hope you have a good day! :)


	8. Don't Tell Me What To Do

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Adrien deals with the fallout of his "hangout" with Marinette, and Chloe makes a reappearance!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> yo this chapter turned serious real fast #oops

Adrien shoved his sunglasses on, trying to bury his face, and took off running. If that photo got out it would be so bad. His dad would install security cameras in his room, and it was bad enough Nathalie noticed he was missing!

Ducking into an alley, Plagg phased out of his hood, staring at him, unimpressed.

“Pigtails is right, you need a better disguise,” He said.

Adrien rolled his eyes, slipping a piece of cheese to his kwami. “What do you think I’m doing?”

Transforming into Chat Noir, he quickly scaled the building, eager to get away from the crowd of fangirls that had gathered in the park. Bounding across the rooftops, Adrien tried to make it home as soon as possible.

“Plagg, claws in!” He said as soon as his feet hit the ground. 

Rushing into the bathroom, he turned on the shower and dunked his head in the water. Once his hair was fully drenched, he pulled his head out, changing into clothes that could pass as “just got out of the shower” chic. 

Leaving the shower running on the hottest setting possible, he closed all the windows to trap the steam in the bathroom, effectively making it seem like he was just taking a long, very hot shower.

He heard the door to his bedroom open, Nathalie walking in on the phone. At the same time, Adrien’s phone rang. Shutting off the water, he quickly exited the bathroom, feigning surprise at Nathalie’s entrance.

“Hi, Nathalie. Did you need something?” He asked pleasantly, rubbing a towel over his wet hair.

Nathalie’s eyes widened, staring at Adrien in shock. “Where were you? I’ve been calling you for half an hour!” 

Pointing to the bathroom, Adrien looked at her confused. “I was taking a shower, sorry I didn’t answer.”

“B-but I checked your room five times!” She spluttered. Adrien hated having to lie to her, but at the same time… he liked his freedom, too.

“Huh, that’s weird,” his hand came up to rub his neck, “Maybe you forgot to check the bathroom?” He suggested.

Giving him one final glance over, and looking into the bathroom to confirm that yes, it did look like somebody just got out of the shower, she signed, typing a note into her tablet. “Sorry if I disturbed you, Adrien. I thought you had snuck out for a moment, and you know how your father would react.” She gave a tight lipped smile at him, turning to leave.

As soon as her back was turned, Adrien deflated, amazed at getting away with it. Just as soon as he relaxed, however, she turned back to face him once again. 

“Is that frosting on your face?” She asked, adjusting her glasses to get a closer look. 

Adrien quickly reached up to wipe the offending spot, shaking his head. “Um… no?”

Nodding her head skeptically, Nathalie finally exited the room, leaving Adrien alone.

Collapsing into his computer chair, he quickly whipped out his phone. One situation dealt with, he had to ensure that those girls in the park didn’t actually get his face on camera.

Scrolling through Instagram and Twitter, he quickly found himself tagged in a photo by user @AdrienAngel31 on Instagram. Holding back a gag at the username, he clicked on the photo, seeing Marinette and him sitting at the park. That… definitely showed too much. 

Clicking on the profile, he opened up a direct message with his fan.

**_AdrienAgresteBrand:_ ** _ Hey! I saw your post of me at the park. I understand the enthusiasm to post it, but I have to ask you to respectfully take it down.  _

He clicked send, and almost immediately received a response.

**_AdrienAngel31:_ ** _ OMG!!! I can’t believe u messaged me!!! AHHHHFKSJ _

**_AdrienAngel31:_ ** _ Why do I need to take the post down? Is she your girlfriend? _

Plagg laughed from Adrien’s shoulder. “You should tell her yes, just to mess with her.” 

“Why the hell would I-” Groaning out of frustration, Adrien sent another message.

**_AdrienAgresteBrand:_ ** _ No, we are just friends. However, we were hanging out privately, and I would really appreciate it if you took it down. _

**_AdrienAngel31:_ ** _ Kk, no problem! I’m just happy I actually got to talk to u! I love u!!! <3 _

**_AdrienAgresteBrand:_ ** _ Thank you so much, you’re awesome! _

Shutting his phone off, Adrien breathed a sigh of relief. Everything was ok, nobody saw the post, and he wasn’t caught sneaking out!

\-----

On Sunday, Nathalie informed him that Chloe asked him to hang out at her dad’s hotel. He hesitantly agreed, and was promptly put into the car and sent to Le Grand Paris.

Her butler let him up to her room, and relieved at seeing her for the first time in days, he smiled as he approached her.

“Hey, Chlo. Where’ve you been?” He asked, sitting down on the couch next to her.

Instead of a response, he was met with a phone shoved in his face. Specifically, a phone with the photo of him and Marinette screenshotted and pulled up.

His heart dropped into his stomach as he tried to process what just happened.

“I have notifications on for posts that tag you, Adrien. You may not monitor your fanbase often, but people can be utterly ridiculous when they go unchecked.” She pulled the phone away, fixing him with a glare. “Why are you hanging out with her?” 

Adrien’s eyes snapped back up to her. “I apologized to her.” He said, not sure what she wanted to hear.

“I thought I was your friend,” She said, a cool rage in her tone. 

“You- you  _ are,  _ Chlo. Actually, I’m sure you could apologize too.” He said, giving her a small smile.

Chloe furrowed her eyebrows, crossing her arms. “I don’t have anything to apologize for, not to her.” 

“You practically said she deserved to be attacked, that’s not ok!” He argued.

She scoffed, waving her hand as if brushing the problem away. “She hardly seemed affected by it. Not if she’s so quick to try to steal you.” 

Shaking his head, Adrien stood. “Steal me? Do you realize that she can barely stand to be around me most of the time? I’m not property, Chloe. I’m allowed to make my own friends.”

“But you’re MY friend first, and you’re not allowed to be friends with her!” She shouted, manicured nails digging into the palms of her hands.

“Don’t tell me what to do!” He said back, trying to keep his voice steady. “Why do you hate her so much? What happened to the Chloe I knew when we were ten?!” 

“She’s gone! Stop it, Adrien, just STOP!” 

“No, I need to know. I don’t understand! You’re my friend, I’m trying to help you.” He answered, reaching out for her hand.

She abruptly pulled her hand away, taking five steps away from him. He could see her eyes tearing up, and he had to resist the urge to comfort her. 

“I don’t need your help, I need you to listen to me,” Chloe spat.

“But you’re not talking! I’m trying so hard to understand, you’re not telling me anything,” Adrien said.

“If you were my friend you would trust me,” She said.

“No, that isn’t what friends do. Did Marinette do something? Did she hurt you or threaten you or do ANYTHING that warrants your hatred of her?” Adrien asked, finally allowing himself to raise his voice.

Adrien could only watch as her lip quivered and she slowly dissolved into sobs. 

“She took my mom,” Chloe whispered, holding herself and turning her face away from Adrien.

“I’m… what?” He asked, face softening.

“Marinette won some STUPID design contest my mom was holding when she was actually in Paris for once,” she sniffled, sitting down on the couch. “My mom wanted to take her to New York to make Marinette her  protégé while she couldn’t even remember my name. ” 

Adrien sat down next to her, letting Chloe finish the story. “Marinette refused, for some reason. What idiot turns down an internship with Audrey Bourgeois?” She wiped her eyes with the back of her sleeve. 

“So then why do you hate Marinette?” He asked softly, taking her hand.

Looking down at their hands, she pulled away from his grasp. “My mom should’ve been focused on me when she came to visit. Instead, Marinette took all her attention. It doesn’t matter that she turned it down, she’s the reason my mom left. Without something… or someone, to stay in Paris for, she flew back to New York. Marinette didn’t even say a word to me.” 

“That’s not Marinette’s fault, Chlo,” he reasoned.

Face hardening, Chloe wiped any remaining tears off her cheeks. “Like hell it is. I don’t need you to come in here and tell me how to feel about my mom, Adrien. Or Marinette”

“Chlo-”

“My mom is one of the only people who knew what it meant to be a star, and she took that away! You wouldn’t understand,” She yelled.

Adrien’s gaze fell to the floor. “At least you know where your mom is,” he whispered, standing up and heading towards the door.

“Adrien, wait. I didn’t mean that.” She defended.

Shaking his head, Adrien opened the door. “Of course you didn’t, Chloe.” He said, not turning around to look at her. “I think we should keep our distance for a while.” 

Chloe said nothing, letting Adrien walk out the door.

  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope this clears up what happened to make Chloe such a bitch in this story.
> 
> Here, Marinette never participated in Gabriel Agreste's hat competition bc obviously she hated his son, why would she want to be involved with him?
> 
> We are just gonna assume that Audrey Bourgeois held another design contest, and since it didn't include Chloe in any way, Marinette entered and won.
> 
> Still, she couldn't go to NY bc of Ladybug, so she declined. Except this time, Chloe never became Queen Bee and Mari and Chloe never had a slight connecting moment, so Marinette didn't try to mend the relationship between Audrey and Chloe. Thus, Audrey left and never even remembered Chloe's name. 
> 
> Obviously, Chloe blames Marinette for that. 
> 
> I hope you enjoyed this chapter, I was actually really happy w it! :D


	9. Cone of Shame

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Marinette is trying to enjoy a nice evening at home when a stray cat turns up on her balcony.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hm this is shorter than I'd like it to be, but whatever!
> 
> I hope you enjoy! :)

Marinette sat on her bed, wrapped in two fuzzy blankets. A movie playing on her laptop in the background, she appreciated having a skylight right above her bed. The moonlight that poured down was beautiful, and often led to inspiration striking at 3 AM. 

Outside, rain poured down in sheets, leading to an icy almost-winter night. Perfect for staying in bed and ignoring the world on a lazy Sunday night.

She had yet to start decorating for the holiday season, but had taken out a mini Christmas tree to decorate at a later time. Sighing, she sunk further into her bed, enjoying the peaceful night for once. 

A  _ thump  _ came from her balcony, causing her to jump. Heart beating faster than it normally should from a little scare, she considered what it could be. It sounded louder than the average raindrop, and definitely warranted at least a quick check. Maybe the wind had knocked one of her plants over?

Pulling on a hoodie, Marinette quickly peeked outside, checking to see anything out of the ordinary. Only, instead of a stray pot or even a bird, Chat Noir lay sprawled out, face down, on her balcony.

Confused at his lack of response, she decided she would actually have to come outside to grab his attention. She slipped back down onto her bed, pausing the movie and moving down to the main area of her room. Grabbing the first umbrella she saw, she slipped on some shoes and climbed back up, careful to close the hatch and not allow any more water onto her bed. 

She lightly walked over to Chat, ignoring the chill she felt in the air. “Um… Chat Noir?” She asked, bending down to tap his shoulder.

He immediately jumped up, peeling himself away from the floor. Looking around wildly, he didn’t seem to know where he actually was. Seeing Marinette, he quickly deflated, calming down. “Oh, Marinette! It’s… lovely to run into you,” he said, though the chipper attitude seemed forced.

“Did you trip?” She asked gently, concern laced into her voice. If he was hurt, she knew that she shouldn’t be making jokes yet, not after last time. 

He brought a hand up to his cheek, wincing a little. “It’s just a little scratch, nothing to worry about.” He said, yet there was a slight quiver to his voice that kept Marinette from letting him go on his way.

Placing a hand on his shoulder, she took his hand away from his cheek. “Are you sure you’re ok? You seem out of it,” Marinette noted, looking him over once again.

Chat Noir bit his lip, as if considering telling the truth. “You don’t have to worry about it, I didn’t mean to end up here,” he finally said, standing up to leave. 

Hand still on his shoulder, Marinette held the umbrella high enough to cover him too. “If you come inside I can give you a bandaid for the scratch,” she said, smiling warmly. Anything to help him.

Hesitating, Chat Noir’s eyes flickered between the trapdoor and Marinette’s hand. Sighing, he returned the smile. “Well, I guess cats do hate water,” he commented, allowing Marinette to guide him over to the hatch. 

Entering the room, Marinette ran into her bathroom to grab a towel, tossing it to Chat as he entered as well.

“Sit down on the chaise,” she instructed him, grabbing the pack of bandaids and rubbing alcohol. He did as he was told, drying himself off as he plopped down. 

They were both silent as she cleaned the scratch. “So what was happening that you fell? I thought cats always land on their feet,” She remarked, reaching over to grab the bandaid.

Chat Noir’s eyes went distant, as if he was remembering a painful memory. “I was just- uh, thinking.” He said, clearly not wanting to elaborate.

Marinette hummed her acknowledgement, but didn’t press further. Why should she? She wasn’t Ladybug at the moment. Still, it stung.

“Do you ever… feel like you messed something up?” He asked, looking up at her with sad eyes that made her heart ache.

Thinking for a moment, Marinette nodded. “Definitely, it’s only human to not be perfect,” she said, moving to put the first aid supplies away.

“But what about a friendship?” 

Stopping, Marinette turned back around with curious eyes. Her thoughts wandered to Sabrina, who she still felt insanely bad about. She hadn’t meant to ditch her, she was practically kidnapped by a supervillain! 

Thinking back to the akuma, she was actually quite proud of herself. While Marinette gave Evillustrator a time and location to meet for their “date,” it was Ladybug and Chat Noir who actually showed up. She didn’t even have to put herself in unnecessary danger!

“Of course I have, Chat. Is everything ok?” She asked again. He never looked so shaken up about something before.

“I think I may have ruined a friendship,” he said in a soft voice, eyes lowering to the ground. 

Placing the supplies on the floor, Marinette walked over to sit next to him. “It’s ok, Chat. I’m sure you didn’t ruin it.” She assured him, not sure what to say. What  _ do  _ you say when a superhero is in your room asking for friendship advice?

“She was my best friend for so long… and I ruined all of that because-” his eyes snapped up to look her over, before he continued. “I can’t say.”

“It’s okay, I understand.” She smiled. “I’m sorry you’re fighting with her.”

“I feel like such a bad person. I should have one of those cones of shame put on me,” he said.

“You’re not a bad person. A bad person wouldn’t put their life at risk to save millions of people every day for no reward,” Marinette said, placing her hand on top of his. 

They stayed there for a moment, not moving. Eventually, Chat looked up at her, tears forming in his eyes. 

Rushing to pull him into a hug, Marinette heard Chat silently crying into her shoulder.

“She’s been my only- my only friend for  _ so  _ long,” he cried, causing Marinette to squeeze him tighter.

“It’s okay, it’s not your fault.” She said soothingly, even without knowing the truth. She couldn’t be sure it wasn’t his fault, to be honest, but he was so upset over it… How could it be?

Pulling away, Chat buried his head in his hands, still hiccuping. “I just- she was being so mean and I was letting her!” He sniffled, “ _ I let her. _ ”

Grabbing his face, she gently picked it up so he was looking at her. “Were you letting her be mean or did she just not tell you?” She asked, using the towel to wipe his tears.

“W-well friends are supposed to trust each other.”

“Did she tell you what she was doing?” Marinette repeated, setting the towel to the side. At the shake of his head, Marinette sighed. “You can’t blame yourself for others actions. Friends do have to trust each other, but trust is earned.”

Chat nodded, the stream of tears drying up. “She was still my only friend,” he said.

Considering for a moment, Marinette bit her lip. “I’ll be your friend, Chat. I know it may not be the same as being friends with someone as your civilian self, but I’m sure-”

She was cut off by Chat Noir hugging her yet again. “Thank you,” he whispered, voice still wavering.

Marinette smiled, patting his back. “Do you want to stay and watch a movie? I don’t want to send you back out in the rain.”

Chat Noir looked over to where she had placed the umbrella, the same one Adrien had given her that day. “I’d like that,” he said.

  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You guys can have some platonic Marichat, as a treat. 
> 
> Also idk why but my end of chapter notes have been including the same note about day one that I wrote for... day one. It's annoying be but I don't know how to get rid of it so u know what it's gonna stay. 
> 
> And aw poor Adrien he didn't deserve what happened last chapter :( good thing he crashed onto Mari's balcony, imagine if he ended up on the roof of the Grand Paris LOL. Good thing Im not that mean!
> 
> I hope you enjoyed, I'll see y'all tomorrow!


	10. Can I Borrow Your Miraculous?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Adrien and Marinette interact at school, and Chloe has some words for Marinette.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oops I accidentally skipped yesterday. I'll probably post the 11th chapter tonight bc it annoys me that I'd be a day behind

Adrien walked into school the next day feeling a heavy weight on his shoulders. Despite his conversation with Marinette, he still felt guilty when he pointedly ignored Chloe’s stares at him. Instead of going over to their normal bench, he awkwardly stood by the door of the school, counting down the seconds until class would begin. He still didn’t know how to fix the situation with Chloe, and the last thing he wanted was for another argument to break out in public. 

Students passed him on either side, all of them being sure to not disturb him. Is this what Chloe’s influence had done? Were people afraid of him?

Lost in his thoughts, he was interrupted by a tap on his shoulder. Jumping, he was surprised to see Marinette standing behind him with a skeptical expression.

“You okay?” She asked slowly, looking him up and down. 

“Um- I,” he coughed awkwardly, “Yeah, why wouldn’t I be?” He asked, confused why she seemed so concerned.

“You’ve been staring at my table for the past five minutes,” she deadpanned, slightly disturbed by the display.

“Oh… sorry about that. I didn’t realize where I was looking.” He told her, inwardly cringing. 

“Right,” she said, looking to where Chloe and Sabrina were sitting, Chloe with her back now thankfully turned to them. “Shouldn’t you be with them?”

“Um…” he considered what he was supposed to say. Sure, Marinette knew about  _ Chat’s  _ friendship problems, but was she comfortable enough with  _ Adrien _ ? “I’d rather not right now.”

Marinette glanced back to the table with her friends, tilting her head as if making a quick decision. “So you’re just gonna stand here?” She asked.

“It’s not so bad,” Adrien shrugged.

“You’ve been standing for, like, twenty minutes.” 

Sighing, he turned to lean against the wall. “I just don’t want to go sit with Chloe today.” He replied, lowering his head a little.

“Do you… want to come sit with me?” Marinette asked, placing a hesitant hand on his shoulder. 

Taken aback from the question, he looked over to the table full of Marinette’s friends. “I don’t know if they’d want me to come over there,” He said.

“If you’d rather stay over here alone, that’s ok too...” She deliberately drawled out the words, starting to slowly walk away.

Catching her by the wrist, his heart started beating quicker. He barely noticed the way she froze up at his touch, pulling her hand away. “No! I’d actually like that,” he said, smiling.

Nodding her head, she led him to her table, ignoring some of the stares of her classmates. “Hey guys,” she said, sitting down and clearing a space for Adrien next to her. 

Shuffling into the seat, he sat in silence, waving to her classmates. He was met with looks of confusion and apprehension.

“So… you’re friends with blondie now?” a short pink-haired girl asked. 

“My name’s Adrien, actually-” 

“We know what your name is.” She snapped, narrowing her eyes at him.

Adrien ducked his head, not sure what to say. He really was intruding, he should just go find another place to sit, alone and away from everybody.

“That wasn’t very nice, Alix.” Marinette reprimanded, crossing her arms. 

“Chloe isn’t very nice, either. Yet he’s still friends with her,” Alix said.

Looking up, he felt like he had been slapped. Of course he was still friends with Chloe… right? But looking back at her felt like he was looking at a stranger.

“I know that she’s hurt you guys,” he spoke up, holding back tears, “But I want to do better… so I’m sorry.”

The group exchanged glances, having a silent conversation that he didn’t know how to decipher. Finally, the boy with a hat smiled at him.

“The name’s Nino, dude.” He said, reaching out to fist bump Adrien.

Soon enough, names were being thrown at him left and right. Juleka, Max, Ivan, Rose, Kim, Mylene, Nathaniel. Ok… that was a little overwhelming. 

Adrien nearly lost it when a robot flew out of Max’s bag, introducing itself as Markov. 

The conversation carried on between the class, and Adrien was even able to sneak in a comment here and there! Adrien welcomed the warmth that came with interacting with these people. They seemed like good people.

He noticed Marinette buried in a notebook of some kind. Leaning over her shoulder, he caught a glimpse of her sketching a skirt. “Hey, that’s really good!” 

Jumping a little, she turned her head to smile at him. “It’s only a sketch, hardly what I’d call good.” 

“Sure, but with a little more development I’m sure it’d turn out perfect.” He said, pointing out some of the finer details. Being a model for his whole life meant he had picked up on some technical knowledge of fashion, especially with his dad being Gabriel Agreste.

Nodding along with him, Marinette scribbled some notes in the corner of the page. “Thanks, that’s actually really good advice.” She smiled, then went back to editing the design. 

As the bell rang for class to begin, Adrien was disappointed as he stood up from the table. He actually  _ really  _ liked being part of a larger crowd of people as opposed to the isolation at his house. Marinette waved goodbye as he walked into his classroom, and it felt like he belonged.

\-----

Marinette sighed out of relief as she finished her last class of the day. With finals coming up as they approached the holiday season, her classes picked up the pace and were starting to double down. Tests, projects, and presentations were all being piled up and she was definitely feeling the stress of it all.

As she began packing her things, she jumped when she heard something slam down onto her desk. Looking up, she found Chloe, eyes full of rage. 

“What do you want?” Marinette asked. Everyone had already left, and it was only the two of them left in the classroom.

Scoffing, Chloe flipped her hair over her shoulder. “Stay away from Adrien.”

Rolling her eyes, Marinette grabbed her pencil case, shoving it in her bag. “It’s not my fault he apologized to me.” 

Grabbing Marinette’s wrist, Chloe’s eyes narrowed. “But you can tell him to get lost.”

She shakily pulled her hand out of Chloe’s grasp. “He’s actually nice and knows when to apologize, maybe you could learn from him?” Marinette suggested, slinging her bag onto her shoulder and moving to walk out of the classroom. 

Before she could, Chloe snatched her sketchbook out of her bag, walking furiously out of the classroom.

“Give that back!” Marinette cried, rushing after the blonde. 

Instead of a response, Chloe simply dropped the book into a puddle on the ground. “Oops, my bad.” She said, stepping over the puddle and leaving Marinette to scramble to pull it out of the water. Chloe quickly looked back at the scene, eyebrows furrowing as she registered her actions, but finally decided to leave it, going to meet up with Sabrina at the front of the school.

Choking back a sob, Marinette pulled the now ruined book out of the puddle. The pencil and pen on the pages were now bleeding, with many of the pages completely destroyed. 

Leaving the book where it lay, Marinette ran out of the courtyard, not noticing a blonde boy walking over to check what she had dropped.

\-----

Running up into her room, Marinette finally let the tears fall, collapsing onto her chaise.

Tikki quickly flew out of her bag, rushing to hug Marinette’s cheek. “It’s okay, Marinette! You have plenty of other sketches in other books! I’m sure you can recreate some of them.”

“No I can’t! She’s so  _ horrible _ , Tikki. I can’t keep doing this,” She said, tugging on her pigtails.

Tikki looked around anxiously. “Marinette you really need to calm down, you could be akumatized!” 

Struggling to breathe, she faintly heard the hatch to her balcony open. She didn’t register the whispered  _ cataclysm,  _ only becoming aware of her surroundings when she felt hands on her shoulders. 

“-rinette?” She heard a male voice call.

She looked up to find Chat Noir in front of her, worried. 

“Wh-what?” She was still taking shallow breaths.

Ignoring the beeping of his miraculous, he looked around her room, grabbing a half-full bottle of water. Handing it to her, she took small sips.

“Hey, can you focus on me? Keep your eyes on my bell, ok?” He squeezed her shoulders, instructing her to take deep breaths.

Following his lead, she kept her gaze on the golden bell, ignoring everything else. He kept whispering small assurances, his hands never leaving her shoulders, grounding her.

After a minute or two, she felt her heart slowing down to a normal pace. “How’d y-you- how’d you know to come?” She asked, still cradling the bottle in her hands.

His response was cut off by his miraculous beeping, signaling he had one minute left before he detransformed. “Do you have somewhere I could recharge?” He asked.

Marinette pointed towards the bathroom, still feeling too weak to stand. Chat quickly rushed into the bathroom and shut the door, a green light emitting from the space under the door a second later. 

She slowly stood up, still taking small sips of the water.

“Thank you,” She whispered, sitting against the door with her back turned.

“Anytime, Marinette.” He said. “What happened?”

Waiting a second before responding, Marinette took her hair out of the hair ties, the pigtails now ruined. “Um- this girl, at my school. She… she ruined something that was important to me.” She said.

“I’m sorry… that sounds like it sucks.” He said pensively, as though he knew the exact situation she was referring to.

Nodding, she leaned her head against the door, shutting her eyes. “Can I borrow your miraculous? I feel like I could use some cataclysm in my life,” She joked.

“You don’t need my miraculous, Mari.” He said. She heard a light thump against the door, like he was mirroring her action on the other side.

“You put a lot of faith in me,” she said, smiling slightly.

“Friends believe in each other,” he said, opening the door a crack and slipping his hand through to reveal bare skin.

  
Marinette hesitantly placed her hand on top of his, silently showing her gratitude.    
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter kinda sucks but that's alright! 
> 
> See ya guys! :)


	11. Chat Blanc

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Adrien finally chooses whose side he's on.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi! So I realized from the last chapter that a hand can't fit under a door so I fixed it lol, it's rlly minor and literally doesn't effect the story at all I just saw it bugged some of u.

Inside the bathroom, Adrien smiled to himself, taking her hand fully in his. “You know… you could always just ask me to cataclysm her myself,” he smirked.

A faint snort could be heard from the other side of the door. “Please, you don’t need to go all Chat Blanc just for me. I’ll figure out a way to deal with her… just like I always do.” A hint of sadness crept into her tone, making Adrien frown.

“But you shouldn’t have to, that’s not fair.” He called for his transformation, missing the feel of her hand in his. 

Marinette pulled her hand away, and taking it as a sign to follow, Chat Noir stood and exited the bathroom. “It’s not fair but that’s how this shit has been going since I was 6.”

“Maybe I-” Chat was cut off by Marinette’s phone dinging with a new message. Taking a quick peek at it, she hesitated slightly before sliding it across the desk. Chat furrowed his eyebrows, shooting her a questioning glance. “Aren’t you going to answer it?”

“It’s that girl, she’s been sending me some… awful messages. I’ve been trying to ignore them,” she gave him a shaky smile, shrugging along with the statement.

Reaching around her, he used his heightened reflexes to snatch the phone. He couldn’t see the whole conversation, but he caught enough to understand that Chloè would never stop. He quickly blocked Chloè’s number, and pulled Marinette in for another hug. “Why don’t we watch a movie for a little bit?” He suggested, forcing down his anger for the moment.

Surprised at his quick change of mood, Marinette nodded slowly. “Um- sure! I guess my homework can wait…” she considered, going back to the table to take more sips of her glass of water. 

“Don’t worry about the homework, you just had a panic attack. I’ll personally come into your class to vouch for you.” 

She giggled and went to work finding a movie.

\------

After dinner at the Agreste mansion, Adrien rushed back to his room with a hurried “I’m going to sleep,” shutting the door as soon as he entered.

Plagg emerged from his side of the bed, nodding his head at Adrien. “You ready to go?” 

Adrien didn’t respond, only calling “Plagg, claws out!”

Not five minutes later, Chat Noir stood on the roof of Le Grand Paris, and transformed back into Adrien. He made his way down to Chloè’s room, knocking harshly.

As soon as the door swung open, Adrien made his way into the room, staring expectantly at Chloè. “You’ve gone too far.” 

She narrowed her eyes at him. “Who let  _ you  _ in here? Somebody's getting fired.” 

“This is going further than being mean, Chloè, this is harassment! Bullying! Do you understand what effect you have on other people?” He fumed.

“They don’t like me anyways, what’s the difference?” Chloè shot back.

“The difference is being a horrible person with no morals.” Adrien growled. 

Chloè stomped her foot, slamming the door and stalking towards Adrien. “It’s not my fault some people aren’t worthy of my time. I don’t owe anything to anyone, and you can’t just tell me to change when I’m perfectly fine with how I am.” 

Adrien shook his head, looking down at his feet. Chloè was his oldest friend, someone he once considered his sister. “I don’t want to feel this way, you know.”

“Then ignore it and stop worrying about other people. We can forget this ever happened and go back to being perfect.” Anger and hurt were still laced into her words, a threat to not go against her again. 

Chloè was once Adrien’s version of freedom. She was the only one capable of stealing him away from the mansion and the watchful eyes of Nathalie and the Gorilla. She brought him out into the city, brought him to get ice cream and watch distasteful movies Gabriel would’ve never approved of. Now, though, he realized he was simply blind to Chloè’s true nature. He wasn’t enough for her to change, and that stung. He was tired of not being enough for people, he couldn’t please his dad, he couldn’t please his class, and he couldn’t please Chloè.

“I can’t be your friend anymore.” Adrien said.

“Yeah right, I’m your only friend,” Chloè retorted, walking over to her mirror to reapply her lip gloss. 

His thoughts slipped back to Marinette, her warm smile and laugh. How she treated him as an equal instead of an accessory. How she cared about him and forgave him for being so horrible and enabling Chloè. “No, you’re not.” He walked back to open her door, slipping out into the hall. “I truly hope you change, Chloè.”

Chloè only watched through the mirror as he left. 

  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Um... hi! I'm back. Sorry for not updating in like... 4 months? #oops. Ok but I'm back! This chapter was short but I still need to get back into the swing of things. 
> 
> I hope you enjoyed this chapter, and I'll see u guys next time! :)


End file.
